OMG – Rodrigo is limping.
We live on 5 acres and we love watching them tear after each other, kicking up dust clouds, and giving us happy smiles. Our property was made for dogs and dog lovers.
A week before BlogPaws, we noticed that Rodrigo was limping and it was getting progressively worse.
When you live in a multi-dog home with active dogs, an injury is crazy inconvenient, but we’ve developed a system that works for our family. Our dogs are young, so a limping dog isn’t much cause for worry, but it does require immediate attention (just in case).
A Dog is Limping
When one of our dogs starts limping (especially Rodrigo), it’s a signal that the pain is worse that I realize and has probably been around for a while, because some dogs instinctively hide injuries (like Rodrigo). When one of our dogs is limping, I quickly identify which leg they’re favoring and try to see how badly they’re injured by massaging the area to look for any lumps, bumps or swelling. I also check the paws for thorns or other injuries.
Find a Resolution
After making sure there were no additional signs of illness (loss of appetite, pacing, excessive panting, crying or yelping, or any other behavior out of the ordinary), I double checked the joint supplement history.
We give our dogs Wag Lifetime Joint Care which is fabulous. Both Rodrigo and Sydney developed arthritis early in life and Wag has given us our active dogs back. Blue takes a reduced dosage, because joint supplements promote healthy joints as well as relieve joint pain and arthritis.
In the halla-ba-loo of preparing for BlogPaws, I realized that I missed a few days. Instead of kicking myself, which I deserved, I got everyone started back on their supplements. Missing a few days isn’t a big deal, but when you miss a few days here and there, it kind of makes the supplements pointless. Think “birth control pills.” Get what I mean?
Managing Dog Walks
Until Rodrigo was feeling better, we had to reduce his play time and that is what I mean by inconvenient – have you tried explaining healing time, rest period, and taking a break to a dog? Blue and Rodrigo are playmates and Blue was bouncing off the walls for two weeks and Rodrigo was right behind him. We developed a schedule to manage their energy until Rodrigo healed.
- Blue received individual walks to help burn off some of that excess energy.
- Blue and Rodrigo were allowed to play, but it was limited to a small area of our property.
- Rodrigo only received pain medication (we give him Dog Gone Pain, which works and doesn’t have any nasty side effects) before bed; if we gave it to him before a play session or walk; he’d over tax himself and pay for it the next day.
- We create indoor games, like hiding treats around the living room, for the dogs to play – they love that one! Especially Sydney.
- Sometimes we give them raw, meaty bones to occupy some of their time.
I now have a reminder on my phone to give the dogs their “peanut butter treats” at 8pm every night. They know the drill and now we do too.
If you live in a multi dog home, how do you manage your dog’s exercise and play time when one is injured?
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Kimberly Gauthier is the Fur Mom to 3 dogs and founder of Keep the Tail Wagging, an online magazine for dog lovers. She launched Keep the Tail Wagging to give dog parents a safe place to ask “stupid” questions. By sharing her experience as a dog mom to three rescues, Kimberly hopes to help others make better choices for their dogs too.
When she's not laughing with her boyfriend or playing with her dogs, she can be found writing, taking pictures, reading, or watching movies. Kimberly is the author of Standing Out in a Popular Blogging Niche and Easy Social Media Tips for Animal Rescue Groups, both available on Amazon.
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